PANAJI
When Goa consented and its six rivers were nationalised several years ago a major controversy had erupted in the State, with many questioning what role or authority the State will have over these waters.
Now, with the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) granting an NOC for a private jetty at Malim, the same questions of the State's jurisdiction over these rivers have revived, similar to the concerns being raised by local fishing communities and others over the jurisdiction exercised by the Mormugao Port Authority (MPA) on the harbour in Vasco and several nautical miles along the coast on either side.
While details of the project, including its exact location in Malim, proposed by Mumbai-based Marina India Infrastructure Private Limited are not yet made public and available, the investment is pegged at Rs 8 crore.
It will be Goa's first private jetty, if and when it does come up, equipped with facilities for docking and undocking private yachts for each sailing trip.
Meanwhile, Abhijeet Prabhudesai, whose 'Rainbow Warriors' was in the forefront of the movement against the nationalisation of Goa's six rivers, has termed the decision "unconstitutional" to include the rivers as 'National Waterways'.
"The rivers of Goa are maintained and fully belong to local communities. The inclusion of these rivers as National Waterways for shipping is completely unconstitutional," Prabhudesai said.
Likening the move to the colonial conquest of the country, Prabhudesai said the action of the NIWA to unilaterally grant the NOC for a private jetty at Malim is the biggest assault on Goa and Goans in the history of this tiny State.
However, not everyone is antagonistic to the move.
According to Cdr Ashok Dhande, Goa has great inland waters, both in quality and quantity which are greatly underutilised.
Dhande, who owns a yacht in Goa and is a former Indian Naval officer known for his sailing exploits including becoming the first Indian to circumnavigate the world solo, said any infrastructure in the waters is good news.
Dhande, however, said he was unaware of the latest development related to the clearance granted for a private jetty at Malim but expressed surprise over the resistance from sections of Goa's local communities to such 'development'.
He pointed out that developing and utiizing inland waters will be good in the long run for the State and pointed to the famed backwaters of Kerala where boating and tourism is thriving.
Officials at the Captain of Ports and the River Navigation Department (RND) department, meanwhile, were unwilling to comment on whether there was any consultation with the State government by the NIWA before the project was granted an NOC digitally.
